Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio mixing system which enables collective patching of a port group having a plurality of ports to channels.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are known audio mixing systems which collect sounds played by musical instruments and vocal sounds collected by microphones, mix the sounds, and send the mixed sounds to a power amplifier and various kinds of recording apparatuses or send the mixed sounds to an effector and players who are playing the musical performance. Such a conventional audio mixing system has I/O units provided with input ports to which sound signals collected by microphones and sound signals supplied from digital recording apparatuses are input, and output ports which output digital sound signals, a sound signal processing unit for mixing digital sound signals and adding effects, and a console on which an operator operates various kinds of panel operating elements to realize a state where the musical performance is expressed most appropriately.
In this case, a multiplicity of input ports which are physical input terminals of an I/O unit are patched to logical input channels of the sound signal processing unit, respectively. On the input channels, the level and frequency response of input sound signals are controlled. The input channels are selectively connected to mixing buses. On the respective mixing buses, sound signals input from the input channels are mixed, so that the mixed signals are output from output channels corresponding to the mixing buses, respectively. Each output channel is patched to any one of output ports of the I/O unit by an output patch. The output ports are physical output terminals of the I/O unit. Each output port can be connected to any of the output channels as a source from which signals are to be output to the output port.
FIG. 21 indicates an example patch setting screen 100 for patching ports to channels in a conventional audio mixing system (Instruction Manual for DIGITAL PRODUCTION CONSOLE DM2000 Version 2, 77-79, [online] Yamaha Corporation, Internet <http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/DM2000V2J1.pdf>, searched on Jun. 10, 2011).
The patch setting screen 100 indicated in FIG. 21 is a screen for patching input ports to input channels, respectively. On the upper row, channel numbers 100b of channels “1” to “8” are displayed, while channels numbers 100b of channels “9” to “16” are displayed on the lower row. Below the respective channel numbers 100b, names of corresponding ports 100a patched to the respective channels are displayed. On the patch setting screen 100, for instance, if a user selects channel 8, a frame of the port 100a situated below the channel 8 is displayed in a heavy line to indicate that this channel has been selected. By user's operation to display a port list 101 which is a list of input ports and user's selection of an input port “AD8”, the input port “AD8” is patched to channel 8. Similarly, user's desired input ports are patched to input channels, respectively. Information about the settings of input patch can be stored in an input patch library.
FIG. 22 indicates another example of a patch setting screen 200 for patching input ports to input channels, respectively, in a conventional audio mixing system, (Instruction Manual for PM5D/PM5D-RH V2 DSP5D, 74-76, [online], Yamaha Corporation, Internet, http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/pm5dv2_ja_om_g0.pdf> searched on Jun. 10, 2011).
On the patch setting screen 200 shown in FIG. 22, a matrix patch field 201 at which input ports of AD IN are patched to input channels is displayed. In the matrix patch field 201, port numbers 201a of input ports are displayed in a row as 1, 2, 3, . . . , while channel numbers 201b of input channels are displayed in a column as Channel 1, Channel 2, Channel 3, . . . . An input port patched to an input channel is indicated by a patch mark 201c displayed on a cell at which a corresponding row and a corresponding column intersect. In the shown example, the input port of port number “1” of AD IN is patched to the input channel “Channel 1”. In a case where a user desires to change the input patching, the user causes the matrix patch field 201 to display input ports which are to be patched to input channels, and further causes the matrix patch field 201 to display input channels to which the ports are to be patched. By user's click on a cell at which a user's desired input port and a user's desired input channel intersect, the input port is patched to the input channel, so that the patch mark 201c is displayed at the cell.
FIG. 23 indicates the other example of a patch setting screen 300 for patching input ports to input channels, respectively, in a conventional audio mixing system (Instruction Manual for DIGITAL MIXING CONSOLE Version 3, 105-109, [online], Yamaha Corporation Internet, http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/m7clv3_ja_om_h0.pdf> searched on Jun. 10, 2011).
On the patch setting screen 300 shown in FIG. 23, a patch button 300a and a selected channel field 300b are displayed. By a click on the patch button 300a, a port switch tab 300c and a list of ports 300d of a switched tab are displayed. On the selected channel field 300b, the name of a selected input channel is displayed. In the shown case, a channel name “Channel 1 (Vocal)” has been selected to be indicated on the selected channel field 300b. In the shown case, in addition, a tab “AD 1-16” of the port switch tab 300c has been selected, so that a list of 16 input ports “AD 1” to “AD 16” is displayed as the ports 300d. On the field of the ports 300d, as indicated in the figure, “AD 1” whose display color has been changed has been selected, so that the input port “AD 1” is to be patched to the input channel having the channel name “channel 1 (Vocal)”. In a case where a user desires to patch a different input port to the input channel whose channel name is “channel 1 (Vocal)”, the user is to click on the port switch tab 300c which includes the desired input port, and then selects the desired port.
Although the above-described three types of patching have been explained about the cases where input ports are patched to input channels, the patching by which output ports are patched to output channels can be performed similarly. Furthermore, although each port can be patched to a plurality of channels, each channel can only be assigned one port.